Acting University of Louisville President Neville Pinto has appointed a longtime faculty member to be the school’s acting provost.
Pinto announced Wednesday he had selected Dale Billingsley for the number two position on an interim basis. He will also serve as acting executive vice-president.
“Dr. Billingsley is intimately familiar with the workings of the university and the provost’s office,” Pinto said in a news release. “He is respected and admired by the entire university community, having served in various roles in his department, his unit and university-wide.”
A professor of English, Billingsley has been on the U of L faculty for 38 years and is also vice-provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Enrollment Management.
Avery Kolers is a philosophy professor at U of L and president of the university Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. In an emailed statement, Kolers applauded Billingsley's appointment.
"He is dedicated to students, a person of great integrity and love for the liberal arts, devoted to U of L and to Louisville, and also he represents continuity & institutional memory, which are in short supply," Kolers said. "He has also guided us through accreditation in the past, which will be very important in this coming year."
Pinto had been serving as acting provost. He was appointed acting U of L president last month following the resignation of James Ramsey, who stepped down after Gov. Matt Bevin replaced the university’s board of trustees.
Bevin’s action is being challenged in court.
The school’s most recent permanent provost, Shirley Willihnganz, announced last year she would step down and return to teaching.
